


IKEA, Where We Go To Find Inspiration &... Love...?

by zkxxdlin



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Dense Byun Baekhyun, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Obvious Park Chanyeol, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-14 16:12:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18055781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zkxxdlin/pseuds/zkxxdlin
Summary: Baekhyun hates this.He really, truly, genuinely, wholeheartedly, thoroughly, completely, and abso-fucking-lutely hates this.(Notreallybutanyway—)‘But why?’ you ask? Well...“Nah, this won’t do, you’re gonna chafe your back when we do missionary on this couch,” a voice had drawled, followed with a rather disappointed clicking of a tongue just a few beats later. “What a pity, though. The colour would have been perfect for our living room.”………… That’s why.





	IKEA, Where We Go To Find Inspiration &... Love...?

Baekhyun hates this.

He really, truly, genuinely, wholeheartedly, thoroughly, completely, and abso-fucking- _ lutely _ hates this.

(Notreallybutokay—)

_ ‘But why?’ _ you ask? Well... 

“Nah, this won’t do, you’re gonna chafe your back when we do missionary on this couch,” a voice had drawled, followed with a rather disappointed clicking of a tongue just a few beats later. “What a pity, though. The colour would have been  _ perfect _ for our living room.”

…

…

…

…  _ That’s why. _

 

 

 

The both of them were second year students, having had taken up Design as their major all a year ago when they had applied to enroll in Seoul National University. The pair had never really interacted much in their freshman year, which doesn’t come to be as much of a surprise if one were to take in the fact that all Design students in their first year were lumped together. This essentially means that their lectures back then were conducted in halls filled with hundreds of students, all of whom were undergoing the same, general route of study before they start to branch off into their specialities and specific area of interested study in their subsequent years.

With how large the pool of students had been then, and on top of how they shared different interests, it was only understandable that the two of them stuck to their own groups of friends. With Baekhyun’s own interests and hobbies laying in makeup and fashion, the beauty industry and the aesthetics of it, whilst Chanyeol’s revolved around sports and vivid, spectacular imagery and cinematography (read:  _ anime),  _ it was only natural that they ended up in vastly different social circles and interest groups.

They  _ did _ know of each other’s…  _ existence, _ to say the very least, at least back when they were in their first year in college. However, it had been nothing more than that, kind of like the way everyone in college goes “Yeah, I know them— But only the fact that they exist though, I don’t know anything else”.

… Which,  _ essentially,  _ means that both Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol were only very and  _ extremely _ well-acquainted with each other’s features, they never knew anything else. Also, when it came to them knowing about the other person’s features, they truly only knew the other’s  _ most _ prominent ones, which really didn’t bode well for either of the two whenever talks of other students sprouted about in their conversations with their own friend groups.

 

_ “Hey, ohmygod did you know that Park Chanyeol was the one that scored the highest on the exam?” _

_ “Wait— Soo who’s that?” _

_ “The guy with the, and I quote, “endearingly and adorably big ears”, Baek.” _

_ “... Ohhhh.” _

 

_ “A few other students got accepted into the programme, and Byun Baekhyun was first pick!” _

_ “... Uh, who’s that L-O-L.” _

_ “The “pretty” one with the “cute” lips, as you’ve mentioned before. _

_ “... and, y’know, for how much you literally  _ spazz  _ over him, it’s surprising that you still don’t know his name.” _

_ … _

_ … _

_ …  _

_ “... Shut the fuck up, Jongdae.” _

 

Well, at least they eventually got the other’s names noted down ~~ and memorised ~~ .

… granted that it came at the expense of their dignity and pride, for the two men had only ended up blushing respectively right as their friends told them their… well, _respective_ _crush’s_ name.

Their feelings for the other hadn’t blossomed right from the start, of course not. With a student pool well into the bigger hundreds, and with well over twenty classes of twenty to thirty students each, it was difficult to even be able to  _ see _ the other, much less have caught the other’s eye in the first year of college. Instead, all that the two of them had was simply brief glances of the other as they made their way to their classes or as they were scouting for an empty table in the various campus cafeterias back then.

… Though that had all changed right as they entered their second year, where the students were allowed to choose their majors and their classes ended up being much more… concentrated, in a sense. Students were then much more segregated and were divided into their respective majors, and the lectures were now conducted in much smaller halls, housing at most a hundred to two hundred students.

… Which obviously meant that both Baekhyun and Chanyeol would start seeing more of the other, and not only that, but they’d also see more of each other in  _ close-up. _

So it shouldn’t have been too surprising, to be honest.

I mean, with the two of them having been  _ just _ each other’s perfect types, it wouldn’t have taken much too long for them to catch the eye of the other person. With Chanyeol having had taken a rather strong (and also,  _ renowned)  _ liking to  _ “cute, pretty, and yet still funny and down-to-earth”  _ persons within a very specific height range (between 170cm to 175cm, don’t ask him  _ why), _ Baekhyun had instantly been the, admittedly, one and only person that managed to land themselves in Park Chanyeol’s radar.

This was the same exact case for Baekhyun as well, for Park Chanyeol had been his picture-perfect definition of the “Perfect Boyfriend” ~~_... at least aesthetic wise _ ~~ _.  _ Standing at a whole 186cm and having had measured (really, really,  _ really _ roughly) where their heads would be positioned and how they would be aligned should they stand next to each other, Baekhyun had concluded that Park Chanyeol was  _ his _ “Perfect Boyfriend” material height-wise. The fact that Park Chanyeol himself was also, rather,  _ admittedly, _ really, really,  _ really handsome _ (*cue Baekhyun blushing*), it had unsurprisingly resulted in him jumping up a few places on Baekhyun’s (secret) “Guys I Wouldn’t Mind Dating” list.

(The list was something he crafted and worked on during his free time, and in his free time  _ only. _ He isn’t a Classic White Chick™ in a gaudy romantic film with a fluffy pen and a heart-shaped notebook who also has the biggest, fattest, and most seemingly  _ hopeless _ crush on the school’s varsity football team captain. I mean,  _ c’mon, _ cut the man some slack you guys!)

Moreover, considering how the two were rather famous amongst the Interior Design students for having the been the “cream of the crop”, it had only helped the two of them stand out from the crowd even more, and hence eventually spilling over into them standing out to  _ each other _ even more. 

The two were known for their specific styles when it came down to their designs, and they had never been so vastly different. It was obvious where they each had gotten their influences and inspiration from, what with the prominent figures and role models in their lives being none other than the biggest names in the fashion-and-beauty industry as well as the sports one respectively, it was clear and had even been translated onto their drawing blocks and sketchbooks. 

Baekhyun’s style and aesthetic revolved heavily around bold, dramatic spaces and colours, striking yet modest, professional. However, the star student had also perfectly managed to incorporate rather subdued, but complementary colours into his designs too, perfectly and professionally balancing out the bold with the humility. The colours and the shapes, the lights and the shadows were always expertly complementing the other, and Baekyun’s work had always resulted in his lecturers and his own fellow classmates gaping in awe and wonderment.

_ “This,” _ his lecturer would start off, breaking the hushed, awed silence that would always,  _ always _ befall the lecture hall every single time after Baekhyun would be done with his presentation. With her palm outstretched, she politely addressed Baekhyun’s presentation with raised eyebrows, her lips curling around the edges into an impressed, and satisfied little smile as she turned back around to face the rest of the class. 

_ “... This is what we call pure, raw,  _ talent.”

And Baekhyun being, well,  _ Baekhyun, _ would only blush and instantly start waving his hands right in front of him, a bashful grin stretched across his lips as he’d hurriedly disagree with her statement. Of course, this had only caused his lecturer to be even more fond, even more doting of him, for Baekhyun truly was the epitome of self-muted, genuine talent, his humility far surpassing that of others.

But it wasn’t only Baekhyun that had the same exact attitude towards the praise showered upon him by their lecturers, for Park Chanyeol would always experience the same thing, and he would also react in the same exact manner.

The  _ other _ star student’s, identified as a “prodigy”, rather, style differed greatly from Baekhyun’s own, something which can be attributed to their different influences and sources of inspiration. Being much more involved in the sports and anime world, Chanyeol’s style would be labelled as  _ bold, _ strong and brave. He was renowned for expertly incorporating elements that, when studied by themselves individually and separately, would have never been able to go together. Yet, by some sort of…  _ gift from God _ or something along that line, Chanyeol would be able to, somehow or someway,  _ make them work. _

Some would even describe his style to be rather unorthodox, what with the choices of colours used and the resulting colour swatches, as well as the shapes and lights he would incorporate into his designs, and  _ yet, _ it would always just  _ work. _

And he was always applauded for that.

But Chanyeol would always just laugh the comments off, grateful but at the same time “I’m entirely undeserving of the ‘Prodigy’ title, Ms. Kim”. This, of course, had only resulted in Park Chanyeol’s statistics as The Prodigy™ jumping up a few notches, which spilled further into the growing adoration his lecturers had for him.

However, it wasn’t only their lecturers that were further charmed by the acts of modesty and humility displayed by both students, that were further praised and admired for the brilliancy and artistry presented in each line in the designs presented by the talented individuals. With just how talented yet humble the  _ both _ of them had been, lacking any semblance of arrogance and cockiness, it hence shouldn’t have been a surprise when the admiration that the both of them already had for the  _ other, _ soon  _ grew. _

Baekhyun eventually found himself not only admiring the Park Prodigy for his adorably large ears and his gentle, friendly smiles. In fact, the more time that he had spent sitting in the smaller halls during their lectures and in the even  _ smaller _ classrooms during their tutorial classes, the more that Baekhyun got to know who Park Chanyeol, the Interior Design Major student, was.

In lectures where Chanyeol had been called upon to give his opinion or to suggest a change or to give a meaning to a landscape, Baekhyun often found himself rather awed by just what would leave the other student’s lips. The ideas and suggestions had always left Baekhyun rather wide-eyed, impressed, for it had been Chanyeol’s  _ different _ perception of the landscape and the overall design of the  _ same exact layout _ that had resulted in his…  _ different _ way of thinking. 

It was obvious that Chanyeol perceived space differently, and  _ that _ different, that  _ unique _ perception of his had resulted in the class being enlightened with fresher, and newer ideas majority, and Baekhyun would even argue to say  _ all _ the time.

Park Chanyeol was refreshing to have in his class.

(... and also rather terrible because Baekhyun was essentially sharing the same class as his  _ crush. _

… His handsome, built, sporty, friendly, humble, modest, talented, brilliant, and all-around just sheerly and utterly _perfect_ _crush.)_

Of course, the first time that they ended up sharing a class had been perfectly coincidental. They were allowed to choose the specific timetable that they wanted for their second year, and it had been purely by chance that they ended up picking the same one ~~ , which Baekhyun had been rather grateful for ~~ .

… and it was from there did Baekhyun’s feelings start growing, did they truly start taking root and flourishing. 

Not that  _ that _ was surprising, honestly. I mean,  _ c’mon, _ Baekhyun was literally going to be sharing the same exact lectures and same exact tutorial classes with the student whom was not only the “No. 1” on his (secret) “Guys I Wouldn’t Mind Dating” list back when they both had been freshmen, but the same exact guy had now cemented his spot. With how bright and brilliant he had been, with talent literally making up the essence, the very  _ being _ that was Park Chanyeol, it was no surprise when eventually Baekhyun had started to admire (and eventually  _ fall) _ for that aspect of him as well. Couple that with just how down-to-earth and modest, with just how warm and friendly he had been, Park Chanyeol was essentially the  _ perfect _ guy.

… Or, more specifically, and more  _ accurately...  _

_ Baekhyun’s _ perfect guy.

However, it had been that exact title, that exact label which Baekhyun had put on Chanyeol all those months ago, did prevent him from actually, well,  _ pursuing _ him. It had been the title of the ‘ My  Perfect Guy’ that Baekhyun had slapped onto Chanyeol did literally take away all of his courage at trying to approach him, much less ask him out on a date.

Why? Well, according to Baekhyun’s ~~pathetic excuse~~ _logical and extremely valid_ _argument,_ Park Chanyeol was far better, far too perfect, to have to “compromise” for someone as “insignificant” and “normal” as himself, a.k.a. Byun Baekhyun.

(Don’t worry, Kyungsoo did an excellent job at refuting Baekhyun’s statement; the man had went so far as to recite an entire almost-presidential speech and had ended it off with a solid whack to the back of Baekhyun’s head. He’s done the job for us all.)

_ “You are literally the ‘Star Student’, you toilet wipe!” _ Baekhyun remembers Kyungsoo hissing, his voice whilst although rather low, was still very much heavily laced with frustrated incredulity. Baekhyun had his hands laced right at the back of his head, shielding himself from any more blows as his eyes had scrunched up, chin digging into his chest, so he couldn’t exactly see the moment where his Architecture Major best friend-slash-”Person-Whom-He-Goes-To-When-He-Needs-Someone-To-Tell-Him-Not-To-Do-The-Dumb-Shit-He-Thinks-Of-Doing” roll his eyes and deflate.

Kyungsoo had only sighed then, gaze turning soft as Baekhyun remained rather stoic and still, frame still hunched over in that position. Lifting up his own palm, Kyungsoo began to gently nudge away Baekhyun’s own hands, sliding itself underneath Baekhyun’s larger ones before gently rubbing soothing circles over the mop of hair there.

(There hadn’t even been so much of a slight  _ bump, _ oh my  _ God—  _ this overdramatic  _ bitch—) _

Quickly biting his own tongue, Kyungsoo quickly got to work, calming the  ~~ nonexistent ~~ bump as he gently coaxed Baekhyun’s face up with the other. However, when all that he had been met with was a(n  _ adorable) _ frown, topped off with a(n even  _ more _ adorable) pout, Kyungsoo couldn’t help but laugh.

_ “... You’re an amazing person, Baekhyun-ah,” _ Kyungsoo had mumbled, watching with soft eyes as Baekhyun’s pout only deepened at the same time his shoulders dramatically dropped. Whilst others may have found a reaction like this a cause for alarm (maybe even a call for yet  _ another _ tirade of “Sweetheart  _ you’re _ the one that’s too good for him! Not the other way around! *puppy eyes*), that wasn’t the case for the two of them. In fact, what Baekhyun’s reaction signified was him…  _ accepting _ Kyungsoo’s words.

Including the fact that he was a, quote-unquote,  _ “toilet wipe”. _

_ “I mean—,”  _ Baekhyun remembers mumbling, his tone of voice laced heavily with reluctant acceptance. His words had still been a little incoherent, too, considering how the pout which his lips were in were seemingly plastered and stitched right across his face, which was why Kyungsoo hadn’t been able to quite catch his next few words of,  _ “... but it isn’t like  _ that’ll  _ ever make him look at  _ me.”

But, with how close they had been sitting, it was only certain that Kyungsoo would have heard it, and he had reacted the only way he knew how.

Rolling his eyes whilst at the same time giving one final, almost punishingly harsh rub onto the back of Baekhyun’s head, Kyungsoo quickly brought his own arms and hands back to himself before waving them about, the action screaming of his annoyance with Baekhyun’s (far, far,  _ far too) _ dense self. Eyes widening into the size of saucers, Kyungsoo only vehemently whispered out a,  _ “He’s practically  _ in love  _ with you!” _

… Which fell on deaf ears.

_ Obviously. _

_ “Soo— He  _ isn’t!” Baekhyun had refuted, his eyes widening and lips parting as his expression morphed into one screaming “scandalised”. However, before he could continue on in his tirade (because Kyungsoo  _ knew _ that he definitely wasn’t going to stop his  ~~ 84th ~~ denial of Park-Chanyeol-Liking-Byun-Baekhyun-Back-Just-As-Much-As-Byun-Baekhyun-Likes-Park-Chanyeol just right  _ there),  _ Kyungsoo hurriedly cut him off.

_ “It’s literally the second semester, Baekhyun,” _ Kyungsoo started, voice nothing but exasperated (and maybe even a teeny bit frustrated. But who could blame him, honestly? He’s been dealing with Baekhyun’s gushing and fawning over the Park kid ever since the second half of their first year, something which had grown in frequency and intensity when they had started the second year (and Baekhyun had found out that he was going to be sharing the exact same class as Chanyeol). On top of that, he also had to deal with Baekhyun’s constant shooting down of his suggestions of going ahead and asking the Park Prodigy out, needing to counter Baekhyun’s continual self-berating and self-slander with his own speeches and rants of how Baekhyun had “gotten it all wrong”, and that he should “get your head out of your ass and see  _ exactly _ how wonderful you truly are for once in your damned life”. Lastly, Kyungsoo  _ also _ had to deal with Baekhyun’s relentless, and hardset refusals of ever entertaining the possibility, much less the  _ reality, _ that was Park Chanyeol liking him back). 

So sue him for reaching his limit in regards to “Byun Baekhyun Headassery”.

_ “The guy practically  _ flirts _ with you on a daily basis!” _ Kyungsoo remembers hissing, eyes furrowed as they hooded over enlarged eyes. The Architecture student had even went so far as to have his fingers back on his temples, rubbing and soothing the visibly popping veins there.

Baekhyun had, indubitably, wanted to argue and refute Kyungsoo’s claim, if the manner in which he had inhaled was anything to go by. This, however, had been caught by Kyungsoo, and the man was absolutely  _ not _ subjecting himself to yet another round of  _ “he doesn’t like meeeeee how can he like someone like meeeee *pout*” _

Sighing, Kyungsoo only shook his head as he braced himself to honestly, meticulously, and diligently spell out  _ exactly _ how Park Chanyeol has been flirting with  his ~~dense motherfucker of an, ironically,~~ genius best friend Byun Baekhyun, as well as to prove his point right, for the  _ 85th time. _

_ “He flirts with you on a daily basis,” _ Kyungsoo began, but he had quickly lifted his palm up as  an action of silence as soon as he saw Baekhyun’s lips part and eyebrows furrow, in an attempt to call forth a debate. Baekhyun had, thankfully, taken the message and had, instead, given Kyungsoo the pleasure of watching his shoulders sink and his pout form.

_ “He’s only ever addressed you variations of endearments, including ‘Baby’, ‘Sweetheart’, ‘Angel’... and the list isn’t even exhaustive!” _ Kyungsoo had started off  _ strong, _ forgoing recounting the more subdued, tiny moments that had been of abundance in the early months of their second year, when Chanyeol had only been, well,  _ hinting _ of his affections for the other.

And who could blame him for forgoing those moments, to be honest. He’s been telling Baekhyun that  _ those _ actions had been flirtatious ever since Baekhyun had recounted them to him all those months back, but did Baekhyun listen? 

Hell no. 

So what was the point of repeating them now?

Kyungsoo had a point to prove, and he’s going to fucking  _ prove it, _ no matter  _ how _ hard-hitting he had to be.

_ “He also invites you out to dinners and movies, alongside other stuff like bowling and billiards, and  _ Baekhyun—” Kyungsoo had paused here, sentence ending on a dramatic groan as he titled his head back, the exasperation obvious in the slumping of his frame,  _ “He even invited you to his  _ games!”

_ “Who the hell invites someone they’ve got  _ absolutely  _ zero romantic interest in, to their games?” _

(Valid point.)

(But is Baekhyun gonna listen? Again,  _ Hell no.) _

Realising that his words still weren’t enough, Kyungsoo immediately brightened as soon as the final, most  _ pressing _ point brought itself to the forefronts of his mind.

…

…

…

_ “... And who the fuck tells someone that they want to fuck them if they have remotely  _ no _ interest in them at all?” _

 

 

 

… Which brought Baekhyun to where he is today.

On a trip to IKEA, with his randomiser-picked partner for his second-year final project, in hopes of getting inspiration and layout designs, with Park Chanyeol continuously and relentlessly critiquing furniture based on whether or not they were, quote-unquote,  _ “safe and comfy enough so that you don’t hurt yourself and we can still have fun when we  _ make love, _ Sweetheart”,  _ and lastly…

… very, very,  _ very much _ aware of the fact that Park Chanyeol, fellow classmate and also the object of Baekhyun’s affections for the past 437 days, 14 hours, 29 minutes, and 53 seconds, person who had been generously dubbed the  _ Park Prodigy, _ was very, very,  _ very much, in love with him. _

_ In love with Byun Baekhyun. _

(It took Kyungsoo a little bit (read: a  _ lot)  _ more drilling, and a lot more convincing, but  _ yes  _ (for the sake of our sanity), Byun Baekhyun has finally realised, processed, understood, and has also  _ accepted _ that Park Chanyeol was just as in love with him as he was with the latter).

~~ (...  _ Thank  _ fuck _ for Kyungsoo.) _ ~~

And, okay,  _ yes, _ he did do a little victory dance and had even been nothing more but a bubbly lump of shit-eating, delighted grins and overly excited giggles for a good two weeks after his little revelation, but—

“—chair isn’t going to cut it, Baby,” a voice had quickly interrupted Baekhyun’s thoughts, swiftly pulling him out of his reverie, “The seat is much too small, you won’t be able to rest your knees beside my hips if you were to ride me on this thing.”

…

…

…

—… the…  _ magic  _ that Baekhyun had experienced at that moment had quickly faded.

 

* * *

 

_ Sike. _

_ Urgh, _ for how long he had adored the other student, it would have been virtually  _ impossible _ for the magic to have ever faded. After all, he finally accepted the fact that the person he had been crushing on for practically an entire  _ year and a half _ actually reciprocated his affections!

Of  _ course _ the magic wouldn’t fade. I mean,  _ c’mon. _

In fact, if Baekhyun were to vouch for it, he would say that the essence of it all had only been heightened! Which is honestly unsurprising at all, to be quite fair to him, because with just how… borderline  _ provocative _ some of Park Chanyeol’s statements have been,  _ of course _ Baekhyun would have gotten a little bit hot under his cheeks (the ones on his face, thank you very much), as well as a  _ lot _ more under the collar.

They had been at IKEA for about a good hour now, and were only about 25% to 30% of the way through. They had been serious about coming over to the Furniture Giant, as what Chanyeol had dubbed it, in search of inspiration as well as references for their project.

 

 

 

As second year students, they had to design a two-bedroom apartment, fully furnished with a sizeable kitchen as well as two bathrooms, topped off with a balcony. It was a rather standard, quaint little apartment, and their lecturer had even suggested them to approach the project as they would once they move out of the college dorms and find an apartment of their own during their remaining years as students.

_ “Think of it as you getting to design your ideal, college-life apartment,” _ was what their lecturer had ended off the project briefing with a couple of weeks back, bright-eyed with an even brighter grin etched onto her face.  _ “A gift to yourself, if you must.” _

The effect that those words had on the hall of two hundred or so students had been  _ instantaneous. _ All of the Interior Design students had immediately burst into excited little chatters, turning around to their friends and gathering in their social circles as they gushed and raved over the ideas that were seemingly endless, brimming and toppling over the edges of their little creativity corner.

But the  _ gushing _ and the  _ raving _ hadn’t only consisted of ideas that the students had for their apartment and the entire layout plan they had for their humble little abode. Not when they already knew whom they had been partnered up with, of course not.

The eruption of gasps and shock, interrupted faintly by minute whines and muted groans, within the lecture hall when it had been revealed who Byun Baekhyun’s partner was, had been expected. The list of the students’ names had been arranged alphabetically, which meant that Baekhyun had been one of the first few names to be called, and also the first few students to have their partners revealed. 

… and honestly,  _ everyone _ should have known that something was up when their lecturer’s lips had curled up into a smirk once she had reached Baekhyun’s name, to be honest.

_ Everyone. _

So when it was with a flourish did she finally reveal who Baekhyun’s partner was, the name  _ “Park Chanyeol”  _ rolling off of her tongue rather seamlessly, laced with hints of devious satisfaction, Baekhyun truthfully shouldn’t have been as surprised as he had been all those weeks back.

(And also a lot (a  _ lot) _ more grateful for her picking, because Baekhyun had  _ known, _ at that point in time, that the rumours circulating about his and Chanyeol’s affections for each other had very well reached the ears of their lecturers. So, and Baekhyun  _ knows _ this might be quite late but,  _ shout out to my homegirl, Ms. Kim, for having my back and for being my wingma— no, wait, my  _ wingwoman.)

… and  _ that _ had brought him to where he was today (let’s get back to the point now, shall we?), where he’s standing in the middle of all the kitchen showrooms and countertops, taking in and analysing each bit of furniture and each slab of marble, with Park Chanyeol right there with him.

“— Ah, no— ‘Ogee’ edges might hurt your back and your thighs, so we’re  _ definitely _ not going with that edge for our countertop.”

… as well as his…  _ comments. _

(Cue Baekhyun blushing.)

Now, Baekhyun isn’t entirely uncomfortable with the words and phrases that Chanyeol would, essentially,  _ declare _ right then and there, and this could be attributed to how he was, truth be told, quite used to it.

(Kyungsoo hadn’t been lying when he said that this has happened for  _ much  _ too long for Baekhyun to still not take it into consideration, in regards to the latter evaluating Chanyeol’s feelings for him.)

Such comments had even grown quite a bit in frequency, and whilst Baekhyun understands that it might have been a little too crass and uncouth for some people, he didn’t find it to be such when it was coming from someone like Park Chanyeol. Of course, it hadn’t only been due to his ever growing affections for the guy, but it was also (as unbelievable and as ironic as this may sound), the manner in which Chanyeol would say these things weren’t as…  _ disgusting(...?) _ as they would be when said by literally every other FukBoi™ out there.

Chanyeol’s tone of voice would always be rather light, offhanded, and he would never look at Baekhyun with anything resembling degradation or, basically, “I-Just-Want-To-Fuck-You”. The man had never once used any form of, well,  _ explicitly crass _ language whenever his speech would take on  _ this _ direction, lacking any form of  _ “You’d look so good spread open for me there,”s _ or  _ “I just want to fuck you open right here, right now”s, _ which would be much more common coming from desperate airheads of freshman frat boys.

Whilst Chanyeol’s comments hadn’t been all that respectful, he had to agree that Chanyeol’s comments were, at the very least, a  _ lot _ more respectful than what Baekhyun has heard his cheerleader friends received. In fact, Baekhyun would even argue (internally, of course, he wasn’t going to argue this point  _ out loud) _ that Chanyeol, from the short commentaries (of which Baekhyun would be the sole audience to), had actually…  _ prioritised _ Baekhyun’s comfort over his own.

Now, okay, you might be thinking that Baekhyun’s got his head so far up his own ass and that Chanyeol’s got him so entirely, completely, utterly, thoroughly, and wholly  _ whipped—  _ not that  _ that _ isn’t true, but hear him out a little!

So, Baekhyun has heard a lot of these types of little notes spilling from Chanyeol’s lips, he has. However, he can never recall one instance where Chanyeol had never taken his own comfort into consideration, where Chanyeol had only prioritised his own comfort and pleasure without neither care nor concern for Baekhyun’s own. In fact, the man had always talked about it with Baekhyun’s comfort, and Baekhyun’s comfort  _ only, _ in mind.

_ “This couch isn’t going to cut it, you’re sinking in  _ too  _ quickly, and you can hardly move,” _ Baekhyun remembers Chanyeol mumbling as he crawled over on top of him after subtly coaxing him to lay down on his back on one of the couches in the living room showrooms a while ago.  _ “You’re not comfortable at all.” _

The second instance had just been a few minutes later, when Chanyeol had called him over (so, so,  _ so _ innocently) to a specific bed. Little did Baekhyun know, much less expect, for Chanyeol to have just picked him up around the waist and plop him right on the bed. The  smooth fucker even had the sheer  _ audacity _ to mumble a quiet  _ “The comforter’s  _ much _ too thick, you’re bouncing a lot on them. You’re clearly not going to be comfortable when I throw you on our bed if it’s like this.” _

Undoubtedly,  _ both _ instances had ended off with Baekhyun hurriedly shoving Chanyeol off, the former’s cheeks stained a bright red as his expression shifted from one of pure shock to complete and utter  _ mortification. _ Baekhyun had quickly shot out of the couch and the bed respectively, patting down his hair (which, unfortunately, were quite malleable in terms of being styled into the classic  _ “I-Just-Got-Fucked” _ updo from only one single jumping on a soft, horizontal surface) and smoothing down his clothes, whilst simultaneously hissing out a vehement  _ “You can’t just  _ do _ something like that, oh God! We’re in  _ public,  _ Chanyeol, for crying out loud!” _ to the other student.

But of course, all that he had been responded with was a snicker, one that was followed by a low, yet rather confidently amused muttering of  _ “So I’d be able to do that if we were in  _ private,  _ then, I’m assuming?” _

…

…

…

_ “... I deserved that.” _

_ “Yeah,” _ Baekhyun had responded, his left palm coming up to soothe his right one as he watched, in mild amusement, how the other student was rubbing his bicep.  _ “Yeah, you did.” _

… and Baekhyun had never been more satisfied as he watched the red splay of his own palm against  ~~ taut, firm, muscular,  _ Daddy _ ~~ _ tanned  _ skin glowed brighter and brighter with each second.

 

* * *

 

However, not all syllables that left Chanyeol’s lips revolved around sexual innuendos. Truthfully speaking, those were actually quite rare, and far in between (well, as  _ far in between _ as they could get), and the only thing that Baekhyun had to thank (or more accurately, the  _ trait _ of Chanyeol’s character that he had to thank), would be the man’s sheer level of focus.

They had actually spent a lot more time truly studying the pieces and various colour schemes as compared to the amount of time they spent, well,  _ flirting,  _ per se. The both of them had come to IKEA for a reason, a  _ purpose, _ and combine this with just how passionate the two of them were when it came to designing interior spaces, it was hence expected that they would focus more on their project than anything else.

… which was why Chanyeol’s comments had always never failed to catch Baekhyun off guard.

“Ch— _ Chanyeol—”  _ Baekhyun had whined, eyes flitting about the showroom in exasperated fear, afraid that other visitors might have heard Chanyeol’s comment about the countertop edges. However, before he could have gone into yet  _ another  _ one of his little rants and hisses of  _ “This is a public space!”, _ Chanyeol had cut him off.

“Nuh-uh, Angel,” the other had drawled, not even bothering to turn around and meet Baekhyun’s eyes, his gaze focused instead on the various slabs of marble that IKEA had for display, “I address you with endearments, so it is only fair that you do the same. Haven’t we discussed this before?”

…

…

…

… That smooth  _ asshat. _

(Also, they had never even  _ had _ this discussion before, what the hell?!)

“—But anyway,” Chanyeol had quickly filled in the beat of silence, gaze and body still focused and facing the various marble slabs and countertop edge displays. Chanyeol’s fingers were carefully tracing along the different edges, and the slow movements could have only meant that Chanyeol had dropped back down to his “focused”, uh… _headspace,_ to say the least. “Baby could you come here for a second?”

Alright, so, whilst the comments about, well,  _ sex _ were rare, the endearments were not. In fact, Chanyeol had resorted to  _ exclusively _ address Baekhyun with a multitude of endearments, and it has gone on for so long and has happened far too frequently that Baekhyun can’t even recall the last time he heard his own,  _ real _ name leave Chanyeol’s lips. Baekhyun would even go so far as to say that he’s gotten used to it; Chanyeol calling him by any other sweet rendition of “Baby”, that is.

… andhealsokindalikesitbutwhateVER—

Rolling his eyes (whilst at the same time trying to calm down the furious blush blossoming across his cheeks, Baekhyun  _ knows _ that he’s blushing, he can feel it burning, for crying out loud), Baekhyun only crossed his arms as he slowly made his way over to where Chanyeol was standing.

Situating himself right beside the other student, Baekhyun brought his gaze down to the array of marble and displays of countertop edges, his head tilting to the side as he himself put aside everything else and instead began studying them too. Expecting for Chanyeol to continue, as well as to divulge him the reason for why he had called Baekhyun over, the last thing that the latter had expected to happen would be Chanyeol wrapping his arms around his waist and plopping him  _ right _ on the countertop.

_ Again. _

“Ch—  _ Chanyeol!” _ Baekhyun yelped, the blush-red painted across his cheeks instantly saturating into a cherry one, spreading immediately to the tips of his ears and right down to the column of his neck. With his lips parting around a scandalised gasp, Baekhyun quickly scrambled to get down from where he had been unceremoniously dropped onto the rather highly raised countertop.

But,  _ of course,  _ he didn’t.

Or, more accurately, he  _ couldn’t. _

_ ‘... But why?’,  _ you ask?

Well, I mean, when someone a tad bit larger and a lot more taller than you (and also a lot more ripped and lean and strong and handsome and is  _ also _ the object of your affections) were to have cupped your inner thighs to spread them, and then subsequently situating themselves right between them right as they smoothed their hands all the way from your hips to your waist, and then squeezed the flesh there before  _ pulling _ the two of you closer—

Baekhyun can hardly  _ breathe, _ much less even  _ think _ about escaping at this point.

… notthathe’dwanttoeithertobehonestbutanywAY—

“... There,” Chanyeol had mumbled, voice nothing more than a breathy, gritty mutter. He had his head tilted a ways back, and (unintentionally or intentionally, Baekhyun doesn’t exactly know, but he’s banking on the latter) displaying the lean, muscular sinews of his neck, the prominent bulge of his Adam’s Apple being the finishing touch. Chanyeol also had his eyebrows slightly furrowed and his lips parted minutely, the tip of his tongue resting  _ right _ at the corner, where his lips met, and his eyes lidded.

… and, good  _ God— _ his  _ gaze— _

It was nothing short of determined, of focused, of—

—… of  _ predatory. _

(... and, by the good Grace of  _ God, _ did it  _ do _ things to Baekhyun ohmygod.)

“...  _ Perfect.” _

… and Baekhyun couldn’t have helped the deepening of his blush even if he had  _ tried, _ for Chanyeol had been looking  _ right _ at him as he said that.

With all of his nerves short circuiting as well as his brain quite well on its way to a whole System Shutdown™, Baekhyun could only drop his gaze down to his feet. Or, more accurately, his  _ lap. _

The air around the two of them had certainly heated, had even electrified, even. Baekhyun could feel the exact moment when the two of them had dissolved into a little bubble, their worlds now shrinking into one that encased just the two of them, with nothing, with  _ no one _ else. It had been gradual, yet instantaneous at the same time, for Baekhyun could recall just how the rest of the world, the rest of IKEA (the furniture, the other visitors, the vibrant colours of the showrooms, and  _ hell, _ even their very purpose for coming all the way here too!) had…  _ faded out. _

… and soon enough, all that Baekhyun could see, could hear, could feel, and could even  _ think, _ had been Park Chanyeol, Park Chanyeol, and  _ Park Chanyeol. _

“... Absolutely  _ perfect.” _

With his chin digging into his chest, Baekhyun only bit his lip as he tried his hardest to calm his racing heart, afraid and embarrassed at just how rapidly and furiously it was beating and jumping about in his chest, the  _ “thump-thump-thump”s _ even echoing about in his ears. He had gotten so, so,  _ so _ very  _ shy, _ for Chanyeol had his (half-lidded, kinda delirious, a little bit, maybe, I don’t know,  _ too-in-love-with-you _ kinda looking) gaze directed at Baekhyun as he said that, and Baekhyun just  _ didn’t. Know. What. To. Do. _

“I— I’m  _ nooooooooot~” _ Baekhyun had whined out, his own arms coming up to fold against the front of his own chest, before he had taken the leap of courage as he gently, and so very, very,  _ very shyly  _ pressed his curled fists against Chanyeol’s (firm, firm,  _ oh so firm) _ chest.

Baekhyun’s little action had been rewarded with an even tighter squeeze of his waist, Chanyeol gripping the flesh about his torso just a tad more snuggly before he slowly let go, before he slowly released. Baekhyun had been slightly disappointed (of  _ course), _ but he hadn’t even had to wait for a second before Chanyeol had began rubbing the curves there, palms and fingers gently smoothing soothing circles into the flesh.

Baekhyun had only kept his gaze fixed down onto his lap, which was why he had watched each and every flex and relaxation of the muscles lining Chanyeol’s forearms as he played with the flesh of his waist. Chanyeol had even managed to pull out a quiet, but stuttered whine out of him, one that slip past Baekhyun’s lips as unintentionally as he had arched his back into Chanyeol’s touch. Feeling himself flush even  _ more _ (if that was even possible at this point), Baekhyun only shut his eyes as embarrassment quickly began seeping into his skin, which had only prompted the red painted over his skin to further intensify.

… and all that Baekhyun had been responded with was a quiet, breathy chuckle, followed closely by Chanyeol leaning in.

(Baekhyun didn’t have to  _ see _ Chanyeol leaning in, of course not. The way his arms got further pushed towards himself as well as the intensifying of Chanyeol’s own cologne had been a dead giveaway.)

(... also, Baekhyun feels like he’s about two seconds from death by rapid and irregular heart beating but who cares about that when  _ Park Chanyeol’s leaning in so close—) _

“—… You are,” Chanyeol had whispered, tone although quiet, was heavily saturated with fond amusement, with humoured affection. He had even tightened his grip around the give of Baekhyun’s waist right as he said those two words, those two syllables, before slowly pulling Baekhyun closer to himself.

… and, somehow, someway, Baekhyun doesn’t know how it happened, but amidst the rush of his emotions, the processing of the situation, the sinking in of the reality that is happening  _ right at that moment, _ Baekhyun found himself meeting Chanyeol’s gaze,  _ eye-to-eye. _ He doesn’t know exactly what had happened, wouldn’t be able to recount exactly what had transpired, but all that he could process was that one second he had been resiliently keeping his gaze down onto his lap and trying his hardest to will his furious blush down, and the next second he was meeting his 437 days, 15 hours, 9 minutes, and 22 seconds-old crush in the eye.

Did Baekhyun mention that Chanyeol also had his palms cupping his cheeks? Because,  _ yes, _ that had happened, and that  _ is _ happening.

“... You’re absolutely  _ perfect _ to me.”

… and Chanyeol had leaned in then, slowly but surely, and Baekhyun (in the midst of practically  _ everything  _ a chick in a romcom movie would be feeling and processing and understanding at this  _ exact _ same scene), had somehow, someway, managed to realise that Chanyeol was giving him a chance.

… because at the speed that the taller had been going, inch by agonising inch, it had been a chance for Baekhyun.

A chance to back out of this, a chance to turn him away.

…

…

…

… But,  _ honestly, _ with just how  _ long _ Baekhyun has been nursing the crush he has on the other student, coupled with the fact that he had  only recently realised that the said other student had been crushing on him just as hard, and perhaps even for just as equally long, do you really, and I mean  _ reaaaaaaaaally _ think that he’d turn him away?

_ Please. _

Which was why when Chanyeol’s lips had been a mere hair’s breadth away from Baekhyun’s own, when all that Chanyeol had breathed out had been the words, the syllables  _ “... Be mine, Baekhyun…?”... _

… all that Baekhyun did, was to bring his own arms from where they were resting, splayed on Chanyeol’s chest, to instead curl about his neck, before gently pulling him in, and gently pulling his lips in—

…  _ to meet his own. _

…

…

…

(... and, honestly, truthfully, and  _ probably, _ Baekhyun  _ did _ die then and there.)

~~ (butChanyeol’skisseshelpedrevivehimsoyeahJFKNDKFJKND) ~~

 

 

 

“You know,” a pause, a tightening of the grip on Baekhyun’s hand, “... the  _ ‘perfect’ _ that I said had initially been referring to the countertop height.

“... But then you referred it to yourself so—” 

“W— _ Wait,”  _ a gasp, a widening of eyes, “are you  _ serious—” _

“—But anyway,” jostling of their intertwined hands, “... it got us to where we  _ both _ wanted to be, didn’t it? And besides, it’s not like your interpretation of my words were wrong.

“... You  _ are  _ perfect.

“... You’re perfect  _ to me.” _

…

…

…

“... Why are you still so re—  _ Ow?!” _

_ “Shut up, Park Chanyeol.” _

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it! :) Thank you so much for reading, and I hope that you liked it!!
> 
> I'm slowly starting to get back into writing full-length fics, and this was my first completed one in a while! I hope that it was okay, and that you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! Please do let me know your thoughts on this down below! :) I'm also open to constructive criticism, so if there is any way in which you think I can improve, please drop it down below too! I'd greatly appreciate that :)
> 
> Also, if you have Twitter, let's be friends there!! :) You can find me at [ @zkxxdlin ](https://twitter.com/zkxxdlin) ! Just drop me a mention or a DM, I'd love to get to know you! I also do short tweetfics and prompts, maybe even dabbling a bit into SNS AUs, so yeah! :D
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for reading this again, and have a good day alright!! :)


End file.
